I’ve been asked over and over again “How did you train for a marathon with kids?,” “What was it like?” and “What did your average day look like?” Among other similar questions. I can only answer it involved a lot of Blood, Sweat and Tears.
Well okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. There was a lot of sweat, naturally, a few bloody episodes, but mainly from a dry nose and meal prep 😉 Yes, I shouldn’t be left alone with sharp objects, I have a tendency to cut myself whenever I cut anything. And tears? Well there were a lot of tears, mainly from my toddler daughter and my infant son, as I scrambled to get their breakfasts done whilst stretching and refueling.
To be honest there’s no short answer to this. My average day was anything but average and most days so entirely different. I live on schedules, but with children, planning is hard at times. So, I will give you the best day by day look at my training for a marathon as told by a mom of two wild & demanding, but loved dearly, children and a wife to a full time student and full time employed husband. Again…..training was chaotic and looking back, I sometimes ask how did I do it? But somehow I did, so I know you can too!!
Here’s a Monday – Sunday look at my training and life as a mom of two, wife, blogger, self-employed running coach & nutritionist at Wholesomely Fit, and a running coach & nutritionist at Tailwind Fitness, as well as a student finishing another certification, with a few other odds and ends jobs.
Monday:
- 5 a.m. 7-9 mile run with 8 x 20s uphill strides + Core & stretching & rolling if my children allow
- Water yard & pots
- 7-8 a.m. Breakfast for myself & family
- 8-9 a.m. Shower
- Clients / Blogging / Work From Home / Appts. / Meal Prep
- Lunch
- More Clients (either at home or out of home during nap time) / Errands (i.e groceries, post office) / Fun with the Kiddos / Dinner Prep
- 5-6 p.m. Dinner
- Studying / Emails
- Bed for kids 7:30-8 p.m. / Bed for Mom 10-11 p.m. (I try to make it 9, but this rarely happens)
Tuesday:
- 5 a.m. 6.5 mile run+ 30-45 min strength & stretching & rolling
- 7-8 a.m. Breakfast for myself & family
- 8-9 a.m. Shower
- 10-12 p.m. Moms Group / Clients & Blogging / Emails / Work from home
- Lunch
- 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. More Clients (either at home or out of home during nap time) Emails / Chores around house/ Fun with the Kiddos / Dinner prep
- 3-4 p.m. 4 mile run (sometimes with double stroller)
- 5-6 p.m. Dinner
- Studying / Emails
- Bed for kids 7:30-8 p.m.
- 8 p.m. Clean Floors / Emails & Client Stuff
- Bed for Mom 10-11 p.m.
Wednesday
- 5 a.m. 10-12 mile Speed Day + Core & stretching & rolling
- same morning schedule as Monday
- 9 a.m. – 12 Cleaning my House or attempting to 😉
- Same as Monday or Tuesday / May have afternoon appts / play dates / groceries / yardwork
Thursday
- 5 a.m. 6.5 mile run + 30-45 min Strength & stretching & rolling
- 7-8 a.m. Breakfast for myself & family
- 8:30 a.m-11:30 a.m. client
- Lunch in car
- 12-2 client
- 3-4 p.m. afternoon run 4-5 miles (sometimes with double stroller)
- Same as every other day
Friday
- 5 a.m. 7-9 mile run with 8 x 20s uphill strides + Core & stretching & rolling
- Same as following days or
- 9-11 a.m. client (every few weeks)
- Gardening & Yardwork
Saturday
- 4:30-5 a.m. 12-22 mile run+ Core
- 7-8 a.m. Breakfast for myself & family
- Family Fun / Errands / Work / Farmer’s Market / Lake / Yardwork
Sunday
- 5:30 – 6 a.m. 5-7 mile run or Rest day every few weeks
- Water yard & pots
- 9 a.m. church
- Family Fun / Relax Day / Yard Work & Gardening
- Or RACE DAY
Obviously there’s day other things may come up, from traveling, birthday parties, watching the nephews, sleep overs with the nephews. Obviously, there’s my nursing LJ during the day I didn’t include (3-4 times a day now).
I try to keep clients all on one day to keep my schedule consistent, with Thursdays being my busiest day. My husband is usually working 9-7 most days, so I’m at home with the kids nearly all day and do most of my work from home. He’s up late doing homework, so our lives are crazy right now. I also plan little outings with the kiddos during the week so we get out of the house and there’s days of baking with R, doing puzzles and crafts. Yard work & gardening are somewhere in there as well.
There’s ice cream outings, family runs or meet mom at the park runs. There’s take R in the single stroller runs, because she wants to go running too. There’s bike rides and runs around the block with the kiddos. There’s pool fun, lake fun and camping. There’s fruit preserving and vegetable preserving. In reality, training for a marathon with kids is like life with kids, it’s hard, tiring, challenging but very rewarding.
I’m in no way trying to brag about how busy I am, because I know there are many others whose lives are more hectic then mine. I am only answering the many questions I receive about my training and life training with kids. It’s doable to train for a marathon with kids. It may require some early mornings and some late nights,some juggling, but it is definitely feasible.
If I can do it, anyone can. I suggest a daily planner, a natural sleep aid (i.e. Melatonin or Valerian Root, even tart cherry juice), dark chocolate (for those crazy days), koombucha (for those days you want wine, I do koombucha instead just because I’m not a wine drinker) and prayer, lots of prayer. Oh and GRACE!! I ask for that daily, actually I’ll be honest, hourly…maybe even every minute. 😉
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit